Highly connected and highly variable: A Core brain network during resting state supports Propofol-induced unconsciousness.
Human Brain Mapping February 1, 2023 Siyang Li, Yali Chen, Peng Ren et al.
Brain regions that are both highly connected to other hub regions (rich-club) and variable in their module membership across time are candidates for the neural correlates of consciousness. In resting-state fMRI data from 21 subjects, such regions were located in prefrontal and temporoparietal cortices. Dynamic analysis revealed two recurring brain states: one dominated by these candidate regions and the other by primary sensory/motor regions. The candidate-dominated state was temporally more stable, suggesting it sustains conscious content. The functional connectedness and modular variability of these candidates decreased with propofol-induced loss of consciousness.